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Centuries-old Cognac collection sells for £77,300
Five rare Cognac bottles with vintages ranging from 1777 to 1914 have sold for £77,300 (US$106,800) at auction.
The bottles from 1777, 1802, 1812, 1906 and 1914 came from a private collection from the late Jacques Hardy, part of the Cognac-producing Hardy family. Each Cognac comes with a certificate of authenticity penned by Hardy. The current owner of the Cognacs purchased them directly from Hardy in 2003.
The bottles were sold during an auction that ran from Sunday 31 January until Tuesday 9 February on the Whisky.Auction website. Whisky.Auction said the bottles are among the most expensive Cognacs in the world.
The oldest offering in the collection, the 1777 vintage, sold for £40,500 (US$56,000).
Described as the ‘jewel of the collection’, the 1777 vintage was given to Jacques’ uncle, James Hardy, on his wedding day by his in-laws, the Yvon family. The liquid was distilled at Domaine de la Vie in the Grande Champagne area, and aged in an oak barrel for around 100 years. It was then moved into a demijohn and bottled in 1936.
Isabel Graham-Yooll, auction director at Whisky.Auction, said: “This extraordinary collection of antique Cognacs is one of the most astonishing finds we’ve ever come across and I am delighted with the results these rare historical spirits received at auction.
“The joy of such old spirits is that they are a window into the past and a chance to experience historic events firsthand. Well-sealed spirits remain intact indefinitely so they really are a liquid time capsule.”
In addition, a bottle of from the same collection offered by a different seller, an 1856 vintage Cognac, sold for £12,800 (US$17,700) after commission.